Coming home
by Anotherhumanbeing
Summary: He goes to a jewelery store, buys a ring. A beautiful diamond ring for her. And runs. Maybe he will arrive at her apartment in time. He fails. She's gone. She's on a plane towards D.C. Took an earlier flight and she doesn't even know why she did that. It's funny, she doesn't even know why she did all of this.


**Some people will hate me for this. But it's okay. Don't worry. And as always, have a nice day!**

_''There is a job opening in D.C.'' _

Away from New York, away from the precinct, away from her friends, her father.

Away from Castle.

_''Think about it''_

_''I will''_

But how can she leave everything behind?

Surely, the new job will be challenging, with better and bigger cases to work on, higher risks to be taken. And it won't be the same. It will be different, better or worse, she doesn't know. She lied to Castle, it's not nothing. She's considering it, considering changing her life.

Along with his.

Why wouldn't she?

She became a detective to solve her mother's murder, to find answers, the truth. The man behind all this. And she did. Bracken might not be behind bars – yet – he knows with whom he's dealing with, though. He knows Kate Beckett will always be there, watching him, observing his moves trying to find a way to put him down.

* * *

''It's a wonderful opportunity. It will give me the chance to do more'' she explains to him.

''Without me'' he adds.

''Castle''

''If you take this job, our relationship is over'' he says, pulls away from her.

''After everything we've been through together?'' she asks, somehow throws his own words back at him after a year.

''Yeah, Kate. After everything we've been through together you decide to take another job and dumb me here in New York''

''You can come with me'' she tells him.

''I got a family here. Alexis, my mother, my – our friends'' she understands, she would never make him leave his family, not for her ''You're a part of that family and I thought you were happy here, with me''

She did too. And she is. She's happy. With him her life turned from hell into heaven.

She wants more.

''I am''

Clearly, he doubts her.

Their conversation turns into a fight, they yell, shout at each other. Say things they don't believe yet they let them out of their mouth with ease. Lies. Too many of them and in the end, he leaves. He leaves without looking back at her.

''Goodbye, Kate'' he spits and slams the door.

She cries. He does too.

* * *

They call her from D.C, arrange a meeting she has to attend in a few days. They need to ask her questions, talk to her, hear what she has decided to do. Accept or decline the offer.

She hasn't spoken with him since their fight and she calls him a day before she leaves, gives them one more chance.

''Hey'' she offers him a small smile and sits next to him on a swing. He just stares at the young children in front of him playing. Memories of Alexis at that age come back into his brain, and then they change. The redhead with blue eyes girl becomes a boy with hazel eyes and brown hair. He imagines their kid.

It feels nice. But does he really want that? Another marriage, another kid?

What if he fails to maintain it again? What if he has to fill divorce papers once more? He won't survive it.

''Tomorrow I must leave'' he hears her say ''I need to attend to a meeting in D.C. Tell them what I decided''

He nods in response.

''Don't go'' he pleads her.

''Give me a reason to stay'' she whispers.

His head hangs, shoulders slump. He has nothing to say other than this.

''I love you''

''I love you too'' _but it's not enough _remains unspoken ''Goodbye, Castle''

His mother's words come on his mind, about a ring, a commitment he's afraid to make. And that's were he is mistaken. Kate Beckett is not Meredith, she's not Gina, she's his partner. A partner he's supposed to support, to help, to love. To be with for the rest of his life.

* * *

He goes to a jewelery store, buys a ring. A beautiful diamond ring for her. And runs. Maybe he will arrive at her apartment in time.

He fails. She's gone.

* * *

She's on a plane towards D.C. Took an earlier flight and she doesn't even know why she did that. It's funny, she doesn't even know why she did all of this.

She became a Will fucking Sorenson, she became the boyfriend who abandoned her for a job in Boston. She caused the pain she never wished someone to have.

They had promised to each other always, and they both failed.

* * *

Next, he goes to the airport, her plane has already landed in D.C. He grabs the phone from his pocket when it rings, sees her name on the screen and almost drops it on the floor.

''Kate'' he says breathless.

''I'm so sorry'' she sobs and his heart breaks a little bit more ''I'm so sorry''

''Where are you, Kate?'' he asks her.

''I'm coming home''

She does, she takes the next flight to New York. Calls and declines the job offer on her way towards the plane before she turns her phone off.

Home, that's where she belongs. Home, with Castle.

He stays at the airport, waits for her to arrive. The ring is in his hand, he's ready. Ready to fall down to one knee and ask her to be his third time's charm, ask her for him to be her one and done. To be each others' always.

He waits.

Until the flight-program on the TV screen changes to News.

A plane has crashed. Her plane has crashed.

.

* * *

_Thoughts?_

_Did you really expect a happy ending from me?Ha._

_Reviews are always appreciated._


End file.
